The Bicycle Thief

1949 • 89 minutes

About this movie

THE BICYCLE THIEF is about a man, a worker, who must have a bike in order to work at his job. He is desperate, pawns everything to regain his machine, goes to work, has the bike stolen from him while his back is turned, and then goes on a search through Rome to find it. That is about all there is to it, but is happens to be very close to a lyrical masterpiece. This is not because we see Rome as it is, or poor people, or rags. It is because these actual details are organized by a humane view of life. The film is unafraid to examine openly, straightforwardly, the terrible distorted, destructive world which Man has made for himself.

Ratings and reviews

It may be because 67 years have passed between this film's release and my viewing of it, but I can't deny that it lacks emotion. This is a classic film, and a must see, but compared to other movies of its time, I'd say it's nothing more than good.

This is one of my favorite classic movies. Excellent Story about the hardest times. It is Italian and has subtitles and I still love to watch it from time to time.